BALTIMORE, Md. — Morgan State carries the No. 3 seed as the Bears begin their quest for the 2014 MEAC Tournament championship this week at The Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Morgan State will begin tournament play Thursday at 6 p.m. against No. 6 Florida A&M.

The Bears have had unprecedented success in the MEAC Tournament under head coach Todd Bozeman. The Bears have participated in five of the last seven MEAC Tournament championships, captured back-to-back MEAC Titles, and made appearances in the NIT and two NCAA Tournaments.

Morgan State capped the regular season with a 68-66 overtime win over Howard at Burr Gymnasium to garner the No. 3 seed. Although the Bears have won five of its last seven games, now everyone is zero and zero again when teams take the floor at the Norfolk Scope Arena.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH LIVE STATS & LIVE STREAM
Live stats of all games will be available on the conference’s official website, www.MEAChoops .com. The preliminary games will also be streamed live on MEACsports.com.

IT’S OK TO BE A FOLLOWER
MSU men’s basketball fans can follow their favorite team, or any of the other MSU athletics programs on Twitter through the handle @MorganStBears.

MEAC TOURNAMENT FACTS
• Morgan State has won three MEAC Tournaments (1977, 2009 & 2010) and has made five championship appearances under Coach Bozeman.

• Todd Bozeman has led Morgan State to 15 of the school’s 30 MEAC Tournament wins.

• Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman was the 2009 and 2010 Outstanding Coach of the MEAC Tournament.

FOR THE RECORD: Morgan State trails Florida A&M 33-20 in their series meetings, and Todd Bozeman holds a 6-4 record against the Rattlers since becoming MSU’s head coach in 2006.

SCOUTING FLORIDA A&M
Florida A&M, 13-17 overall, finished 8-8 in the MEAC and earned the number six seed. The Rattlers enter the tournament having won five straight games (including a 78-73 win against the Bears in Baltimore), before losing 70-68 in the regular season finale against Bethune-Cookman.

LAST TIME VS. THE RATTLERS
March 3, 2014 — Jamie Adams scored 23 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, to lift Florida A&M to a 78-73 victory over Morgan State on Senior Night at Hill Field House. After a tight game featuring several lead changes, clinched the win with Adams’ 3 that made it 74-72 with 1:39 to play, then padded the advantage down the stretch. Anthony Hubbard led the Bears with 20 points, Ian Chiles had 18 and Shaquille Duncan 10 and nine rebounds. Justin Black, the MEAC’s No. 3 leading scorer (18.8 ppg), was held to nine points.

NEXT UP: If Morgan State wins, they will advance to the semifinals on Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m. The Bears will take on the winner of Wednesday’s game (6 p.m.) between No. 2 Hampton and the winner between No. 7 Coppin State/No. 10 Bethune-Cookman.

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Thru 28 games last season, three Bears averaged more than 10 points a game. Justin Blackleads with by averaging 18.5 ppg (No. 3 in MEAC),Ian Chilesaverages 15.2 points per game (No. 9 in MEAC), while Anthony Hubbard is averaging 10.8 points and leads the squad averaging 6.6 rpg (No. 9).

BLACK A MEMBER OF THE 1,000 POINTS CLUB
Senior guard Justin Black eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career as a result of his 24-point outing against Cal State Northridge (12/27) … Black recently moved in front of Jason McCoy (1,292 pts – 1987-91) as the school’s No. 13 leading scorer and currently has 1,321 career points.

POUNDING THE PAINT
MSU is eager to get the ball inside this season, even more so than normal. Through 16 conference games, MSU ranked No. 2 in the MEAC averaging 74.2 points per game, including 15 points in the paint. This includes a dominating 50-22 edge in the paint at Hampton (1/20), 42-20 advantage at Coppin State (2/10), and 48-30 versus Bethune-Cookman (3/1).

THEIVES IN THE NIGHT
Two Bears are averaging better than 1.0 steals per game –Justin Black (2.0 – ranked No. 2 in MEAC), and Donte Pretlow (1.4 – No. 8). Morgan State ranked No. 6 in the MEAC by averaging 6.3 steals per game.

LOOK WHO’S IN SLAM
Morgan State senior guard Justin Black was recently featured in SLAM ONLINE (www.slamonline.com) in an article entitled “Game Plan.”

TOUGH IN THE PAINTIan Chiles and Thair Heath are shooting better than .500 from the field this year. Thru the first 28 games Chiles is shooting 55.4 pct (ranks No. 4 in MEAC). Heath is shooting 57.7 pct., while frontcourt teammate The Bears are among the top teams in the MEAC ranked No. 3 in field goal percentage (.427).

WELCOME TO MY BLOCK PARTYIan Chiles has been making the most of his 7-foot-2 frame. The senior recorded a career-high 9 blocked shots against Norfolk State on Feb. 8. He completed the regular season ranked No. 3 in the MEAC averaging 3.0 rejections per contest (84) and now has 183 career blocks.

THE ALMOST-TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Despite the loss against Norfolk State (Feb. 8), Ian Chiles had a strong effort and came close to finishing with the oh so rare — triple-double. “Big Slew” completed the night with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and notched a career-high nine blocked shots … one rejection short a triple-double.

A BLOSSOM ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASSCedric Blossom leads the Bears with 75 offensive rebounds thru the first 28 games. The sophomore has started in 27 of 28 games and is averaging 7.0 ppg, 5.4 rebounds in 23.5 minutes. He had a sensational game at UMES (Feb. 17) where he posted a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds — and has recorded three double-doubles during his career.

THE 3-HEADED GRIZZLY
During the 16 conference matchups this season Justin Black, Ian Chiles and Anthony Hubbard have scored 668 points, while the rest of the squad has produced 504 points. In the blowout of Howard (12/7), the trio combined to score 39 points with Black scored a team-high 17 points. Against Coppin State (2/10), the trio accounted for 61 of the Bears’ 82 points with Black and Chiles leading the way with 23 apiece. The trio has totaled 1,247 of the team’s 1,993 points, 63 percent of the team’s scoring load.

BALTIMORE, Md. — The Morgan State Bears (12-14, 10-4 MEAC) will hosts the Florida A&M Rattlers in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference home game finale on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be highlighted by a pregame ceremony honoring four seniors, Ian Chiles, Thair Heath, Justin Black and Anthony Hubbard. Monday’s matchup will mark the 53rd all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Rattlers holding a 32-20 edge since 1987. The Bears have won the last 5 of 6 matchups against Florida A&M.

SCOUTING FLORIDA A&M
The Rattlers welcomed back five veterans, including four starters, from a squad that posted a 8-23 overall record, and finished ninth place in the MEAC with an 5-11 record. The Rattlers have three players averaging double-digit scoring. Jamie Adams leads the squad averaging 17.1 ppg (Ranked No. 6 in MEAC), followed by Reggie Lewis (12.5 ppg) and Markee Teal (10.0 ppg). Adams is among the league leaders in assists (3.5 – Ranked No. 5) and steals (1.4 avg. – Ranked T-No. 6). Clemon Johnson is in his third season and currently has a 58-62 as the Rattlers head coach. Florida A&M defeated Edward Waters 104-69 on Wednesday night to extend its winning streak to four games. The Rattlers took a 54-32 lead over the Tigers at halftime, getting at least 50 points in each half.

LAST TIME VS. THE RATTLERS
BALTIMORE (March 7, 2013) – Justin Black had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead four Bears in double-figures lifting Morgan State to a 78-67 win over Florida A&M on Thursday night in the regular season finale at Hill Field House. 7-foot-2 center Ian Chiles was 9 of 13 for a career-high 18 points and Shaquille Duncan had 11 points.DeWayne Jackson, who was honored during the Bears’ “Senior Night” ceremony, posted 15 points, four rebounds with two blocks and became the school No. 6 all-time leading scorer with 1,537 career points.

WE MEET AGAIN: The Morgan State Bears will square off against the Rattler for the 53rd meeting between the two. Florida A&M holds a 32-20 advantage, however the Bears have won five of the last six meetings. Todd Bozeman holds a 6-3 record against the Rattlers since becoming MSU’s head coach in 2006.

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Thru 26 games last season, three Bears averaged more than 10 points a game. Justin Blackleads with by averaging 18.8 ppg (No. 3 in MEAC),Ian Chilesaverages 15.4 points per game (No. 9 in MEAC), while Anthony Hubbard is averaging 10.3 points and leads the squad averaging 6.7 rpg (No. 8).

BLACK A MEMBER OF THE 1,000 POINTS CLUB
Senior guard Justin Black eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career as a result of his 24-point outing against Cal State Northridge (12/27) … Black recently moved in front of Anthony Young (1,269 pts – 1975-79) as the school’s No. 14 leading scorer and currently has 1,292 career points.

POUNDING THE PAINT
MSU is eager to get the ball inside this season, even more so than normal. Through 14 conference games, MSU ranks No. 2 in the MEAC averaging 74.2 points per game, including 15 points in the paint. This includes a dominating 50-22 edge in the paint at Hampton (1/20), 42-20 advantage at Coppin State (2/10), and 48-30 versus Bethune-Cookman (3/1).

THEIVES IN THE NIGHT
Two Bears are averaging better than 1.0 steals per game –Justin Black (2.0 – ranks No. 2 in MEAC), and Donte Pretlow (1.3 – No. 9). Morgan State is also No. 5 in the MEAC by averaging 6.3 steals per game.

LOOK WHO’S IN SLAM
Morgan State senior guard Justin Black was recently featured in SLAM ONLINE (www.slamonline.com) in an article entitled “Game Plan.”

TOUGH IN THE PAINTIan Chiles and Thair Heath are shooting better than .500 from the field this year. Thru the first 25 games Chiles is shooting 55.3 pct (ranks No. 5 in MEAC). Heath is shooting 54.2 pct., while frontcourt teammate The Bears are among the top teams in the MEAC ranked No. 3 in field goal percentage (.430).

WELCOME TO MY BLOCK PARTYIan Chiles has been making the most of his 7-foot-2 frame. The senior recorded a career-high 9 blocked shots against Norfolk State on Feb. 8. He’s currently ranked No. 2 in the MEAC averaging 3.0 rejections per contest (77) and now has 176 career blocks.

THE ALMOST-TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Despite the loss against Norfolk State (Feb. 8), Ian Chiles had a strong effort and came close to finishing with the oh so rare — triple-double. “Big Slew” completed the night with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and notched a career-high nine blocked shots … one rejection short a triple-double.

A BLOSSOM ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASSCedric Blossom leads the Bears with 70 offensive rebounds thru the first 26 games. The sophomore has started in every game and is averaging 6.9 ppg, 5.4 rebounds in 23.2 minutes. He had a sensational game at UMES (Feb. 17) where he posted a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds — he has recorded three double-doubles during his career.

SENIOR DAY ON MONDAY
MSU will say goodbye to four seniors during a pregame ceremony. Justin Black, Ian Chiles, Anthony Hubbard and Thair Heath will wrap up seasons of impressive work Monday night when Morgan State and Florida A&M meet in Hill Field House in the 2014 home finale.

EYE ON THE STORM
Among the many intriguing angles for the Morgan State versus Florida A&M game on Monday night is that there is a winter storm that might play a factor. The forecast projects 6 to 10 inches of snow for Baltimore and the surrounding area during the day. Snow will be moderate to heavy during the morning commute and will continue to fall moderate to heavy at times through early afternoon Monday. The game, by all accounts, is expected to be played regardless.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARS
Morgan State travels to Beltway rival Howard for the regular season finale. Tip-off is scheduled for Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium.

BALTIMORE – The Coppin State men’s basketball team believes its best hoops are ahead of it. With five regular season games remaining, the Eagles are confident they can do some damage and finish as the last team standing during next month’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament.

The Eagles (9-15 overall, 6-5 MEAC) will look to take a step in that direction as they travel to meet Florida A&M (8-16, 4-7) Saturday night in the Al Lawson Center at 7:00 Eastern time. The game will begin at 6:00. This will be the Eagles first trip to Florida’s capital city since 2011.

Coppin State senior forward Michael Murray is the only Eagle who has played at FAMU and he remembers his visit like it was yesterday.

“It was a crazy atmosphere and tough playing there,” Murray said. “FAMU always has good teams. They always play hard and they compete with anybody in the league, so we have to be ready for them. I think for us, we play better on the road. I feel we play with more energy and play hard. We know we’re going to have to match FAMU’s intensity and energy and if we do that I think we’ll give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Coppin State has won its last two conference road games and it will look to continue its swagger on foreign courts.

The Eagles bounce back from tough defeats well and they will be facing a Rattler squad that has lost five of its last six games. Coppin State is coming off a tough 82-77 loss to Morgan State in which it made an uncharacteristic 4 of 20 shots from 3-point distance. Meanwhile, FAMU enters off a 92-49 defeat to MEAC leader North Carolina Central.

“We felt like we should have won the Morgan game,” Murray said. “We’re just looking to bounce back. We’re a tough team. If we can get a win Saturday, it will help us. If you look at our stats, I think our road stats are better than what we do at home.”

The Eagles average the same amount of points wherever they play: 67.7 on the road and 67.0 at home in five conference games. CSU also shoots the same percentage in the home whites or the blue away jerseys: 38.8 percent on the road and 38.5 at home. So the biggest difference is in the 3-point shooter where the Eagles have made 23 more triples on the road than at home.

Lately, the Eagles have done their best work away from Baltimore. Perhaps, they enjoy the Chik-Fil-A meal stops, the flat screen televisions in the hotel rooms or just sending the home fans into the chilly winter night with frowns of their faces. Whatever the reason, Coppin State seems to be relaxed on the road.

In compiling a 4-2 record in conference road games, Coppin State has four players averaging double figures led by senior guard Andre Armstrong’s 15.3 point per game average. Senior Michael Murray has scored 14.2 points and grabbed 8.2 rebounds per outing on the road. Sophomore Sterling Smith (11.3 points per game) and junior guardTaariq Cephas (11.0) have also enjoyed special moments in opposing MEAC gyms.

The quartet has also combined for 45 made 3-pointers. Murray and Armstrong have made at least 40 percent of their shots on the road. Cephas had his first career double-double (12 points, 10 assists) against Delaware State on Dec. 7 in Dover. Junior Daquan Brickhouse scored a career-high 18 points on Jan. 18 in a win at Hampton. Murray burned Delaware State for a career-high 28 points.

Against North Carolina A&T on Jan. 27, the Eagles made a season-high 13 3-pointers and raced to a 31-7 lead. In its last road game at Maryland-Eastern Shore, Coppin State’s defense rose to the occasion late by holding the Hawks scoreless for the final five minutes of the game. Murray also recorded his third double-double of the season (10 points, 10 rebounds). Smith and Brandon St. Louis combine for 8.3 rebounds on the road this season.

Defensively in their six away conference contests, the Eagles have held three teams below 60 points, including its last two opponents.

“We’re going on the road and we’ll be ready to play,” Coppin State head coach Ron “Fang” Mitchell said. We haven’t had as much success at home this season. I just think my guys understand being on the road. They know it’s a tough situation for them and a tough venue we’re going to so they gear their minds to compete at a higher level. I look for them to be ready to play and accept the challenge.”

In the loss against Morgan State, the Eagles never quit and gave themselves an opportunity to win the game at the end. Cephas flirted with a triple-double as he finished with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Murray contributed 21 points and eight rebounds. Armstrong scored in double figures for the 13th straight game by finishing with 11 points.

Meanwhile, FAMU had a tough night in Durham against NCCU, who earned a measure of revenge after suffering its only conference defeat on Jan. 11 to the Rattlers, 63-60. Jamie Adams led three FAMU players in double figures with 12 points against NCCU. Scoring 10 points each for the Rattlers were Reggie Lewis and Trey Kellum.

Adams (16.5 points per game) and Lewis (11.5) lead the Rattlers in scoring. They have combined for 98 3-pointers. Kellum scores at a 9.1 point per game clip and leads FAMU in rebounding (6.3 per game). Jomari Bradshaw is another 3-pointer shooter to keep an eye on as he has made 21 or the season and is averaging 8.9 points per contest. The Rattlers are 6-2 at home this season.

“I understand that they have some shooters and they rebound the ball very well,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to have to be able to play better defense, find their shooters and rebound the ball. We know that they’re a pressing team and we’re going to have to take care of the ball.”

Coppin State will spend the remainder of its regular season in snowy Baltimore. It will play its final away contest Wednesday night against Morgan State before ending the season with three straight home games against Norfolk State, UMES and Howard.

GAME TIME
The Bears (0-5, 0-1) will host Mid-Eastern Conference opponent Florida A&M on Saturday (Oct. 5) in Baltimore (Md.). The game will mark Homecoming for Morgan State as the Bears will attempt to snap an 11-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 13, 2012. First-year head coach Earl Holmes leads the Rattlers. FAMU (1-3, 0-0) will enter the contest fresh off of a bye week. The last time the Rattlers were in action was on Sept. 21 in when they were pounded by the Ohio State Buckeyes 76-0 in Columbus. Morgan State will look to rebound from a 27-21 home loss against Norfolk State. Donald Hill-Eley, ranked third among winning coaches at MSU, enters his 12th year as head coach of the Bears. Game time at Hughes Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.

THE BEARS-RATTLERS MATCHUP
• The Bears and Rattlers will meet for the 24th time since 1943. Florida A&M leads the series 19-4 and has won the last two meetings against MSU since 2009.
• Last time against the Rattlers (Oct. 30, 2010) … Morgan State rallied from 14 points down, and was driving for the go ahead score but the Bears made a costly mistake. With the ballgame knotted at 17-17, Delonte “Smoke” Williams had his pass intercepted by Jerrell Stewart who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown with 7:17 left in the game. Philip Sylvester added the dagger in the form of an 89-yard touchdown run. MSU sophomore running back David Brown posted a career-high 131 yards on 17 carries.
• The last time the Bears played the Rattlers at Hughes Stadium was on Oct. 31, 2009 … The Florida A&M Rattlers stopped Morgan State quarterback Carlton Jackson on fourth and inches at the 15 in overtime of a 31-28 victory at Hughes Stadium on Halloween evening. Florida A&M quarterback Curtis Pulley ran 20 times for 231 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
• The last time the Bears defeated Florida A&M at Hughes Stadium was on Oct. 27, 2007 … The Bears came away with a 14-12 victory against Florida A&M in front of a crowd of 3,478. The win marked Morgan State’s first against Florida A&M since 1994, snapping the Rattlers 11-game win streak against the Bears. Trailing 14-12 late in the 4th quarter, Florida A&M had a chance to take the lead on a 17-yard field goal attempt by Wesley Taylor. MSU head coach Donald Hill-Eley called for a timeout to “freeze” Taylor, and it apparently worked. Taylor’s field goal sailed wide right.

ABOUT THE RATTLERS
• Florida A&M head coach Earl Holmes enters his first year at the helm of the Florida A&M Rattlers. Holmes is one of Florida A&M’ greatest defensive players of all time served as the Rattlers’ defensive coordinator under legendary Joe Taylor, bringing with him a tremendous passion for the game along with his ties to the program. Known affectionately by family and FAMU fans as “The Hitman,” Holmes played for the Rattlers from 1992 to 1995, finishing as the school’s all-time leader in tackles.
• Florida A&M finished the 2012 season with a 4-7 overall record and went 4-4 in the MEAC.
• FAMU returns 39 lettermen, including 21 starters from last year’s team.
• FAMU QB Damien Fleming entered the season as 2013 Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection. The Jacksonville (Fla.) product has completed 41 of 80 passes for 413 yards with a pair of touchdowns … he has also thrown six interceptions.
• Fleming’s favorite target is wideout Lenworth Lennon. The junior has 14 receptions (No. 3 in the MEAC) for 229 yards (ranked No. 4) and a touchdown. He is currently averaging 16.4 yards per catch and 76.3 yards per game.
• FAMU LB Michael Ducre is one of the leaders for the Rattlers defense. Ducre enters this weekend’s contest with 34 tackles (24 solo) with 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks thru four games.
Omari Albert leads • The Rattlers ground attack. Albert has 32 carries for 104 yards (3.2 avg) and has a touchdown.
• The Bears’ offensive unit will face a Rattler pass defense that ranks among the top in the league. FAMU ranks No. 3 in the MEAC in pass defense (144.7/g).

QUICK HITS
• MSU will enter the 2013 season with a number of veterans … the Bears’ roster includes 12 seniors and 15 juniors.
• The Bears backfield lost All-MEAC running back Travis “Juice” Davidson to graduation, however the backfield is loaded with talented young players like Lamont Brown III, Herb Walker, Tracy Martin and Orlando Johnson who will compete for the starting RB spot.
• The returning quarterback duo of Seth Higgins and Robert Council combined for 1,560 passing yards (140-of-301) and five touchdowns in 2012.
• Joe Rankin returns as a shutdown cornerback for the Bears and finished with 46 tackles and lead the MEAC with five picks in 2012.
• NT Demarco Bisbee leads a defensive line unit that returns 10 lettermen from last season … Bisbee posted 41 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and
3.5 sacks in 2012.
• LB Christopher Robinson was among the league leaders with 13.5 tackles for loss (No. 4), to go along with 40 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
• Chris Flowers helped lead the Bears to a No. 1 ranking in the MEAC in kickoff return average (23.0 avg) and his 27.8 kick return average ranked No. 8 in the FCS last season.
• The Bears added four new coaches to the 2013 staff … the new coaches are: Jerry Holmes (DC), Greg Gregory (OC), LeAndre Creamer (DB) and Marcus Gladden (OL).

FINISHING TOUCHES … Morgan State has been pretty good this season when it comes to scoring in the red zone. Through the first five games, the Bears have scored 10-of-13 (77%) times inside its opponent’s 20 yardline. MSU ranks No. 8 in the MEAC in red zone scoring.

GETTING DEFENSIVE … The Morgan State defense has four players with at least 20 tackles so far this season.
• Junior linebacker Cody Ackerleads the way with 55 stops (3rd in MEAC), including a season-high 14 tackles last week against Norfolk State (Sept. 28).
• The next highest is senior Darien Irbywho has posted 28 tackles from his starting strong safety position.

NO SACKS FOR YOU … Since allowing 6.0 sacks against Robert Morris, the Morgan State offensive line has allowed just one sack over the next three games and none over the past two games at Western Kentucky and home against Norfolk State.

LAUNDRY SERVICE … Morgan State mistakes in the form of penalties have been troublesome for the Bears. MSU ranks No. 10 in the MEAC in penalties (32; 71.4 avg), and will enter this weekend’s contest coming off of being flagged a season-high11 times for 115 yards against Norfolk State.

HIGGINS STANDS TALL IN QB CAROUSEL … With Robert Council, Moses Skillon and Ricky Fisk jockeying for additional playing time, Seth Higgins appears to be the lone starter for the Bears. The junior played the entire game against Norfolk State completing 5 of his 14 passes for 83 yards and tossed a touchdown. He also led the Bears on the ground with 12 carries for 63 yards, including a pair of touchdowns.

COLLECTING INTERCEPTIONS ?The Bears have recorded five interceptions through five games. CB Joe Rankin has a pair of picks, while SS Peterson Javier, CBDeShaun Summers, and LB Bill Hill each have an interception to their credit. Morgan State’s defense currently ranks T-37 in the FCS in interceptions and No. 12 in passing yards allowed (152.3 avg).

HOMECOMING KING… Head coach Donald Hill-Eley has been virtually unstoppable when it comes to being victorious on Homecoming Saturdays. Morgan State has posted an impressive 9-2 record since Hill took the helm in 2002. His Bears look to rebound from a heartbreaking Homecoming loss last season against N.C. Central. The Eagles scored on a 26-yard TD pass with 25.6 seconds left to play to pull out a 24-20 victory at Hughes Stadium.

TIME TO FIX THE LEAK … The Bears’ defense has yielded over 36 points and 411 total yards through the first five games … The Bears are ranked No. 118 in rushing defense by yielding over 265 yards per game. MSU had one of its best defensive outings of the season last week limiting Norfolk State to just 134 yards on the ground.

Morgan State has won seven of its last eight games and prepare to close out the regular season on Thursday. The Bears dropped Delaware State 66-47 on Monday and will put its four-game winning streak on the line when they host Florida A&M. The Rattlers fell to 8-21 and 5-10 in the conference after suffering a 69-58 loss at Norfolk State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hill Field House and will mark “Senior Night” for the Bears.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH LIVE STATS
Live stats are available for all home games and most MSU road games by its opponents.

IT’S OK TO BE A FOLLOWERMSU men’s basketball fans can follow their favorite team, or any of the other MSU athletics programs on Twitter through the handle @MorganStBears.

Bear Bits:

• Coach Todd Bozeman has directed the Bears to the most regular-season conference wins with 104.

• Morgan State defeated High Point in large part as a result of collecting16 offensive rebounds that led to 24 second chance points.

• Senior forward DeWayne Jackson eclipsed the 500 rebound mark – he currently ranks No. 8 in school history with 535 career rebounds.

• After opening the season with a 71 point effort in a win against UTSA, the Bears have gone 13-14 while averaging 67 points and 44 percent shooting.

• Morgan State shot 67.5 percent from the line last season, and so far through the 27 games the Bears are ranked last in the conference by shooting 59 percent (347-588 FT).

• The Bears, who held Delaware State to 3 of 15 from 3-point range on March 4th in Baltimore, have allowed an average of 66 points and opponents are shooting 30 percent from 3-point territory.

• Morgan State shot a season-high 59.7 percent against Md.-Eastern Shore, including a season best 63.6 percent from 3-point territory, with 12 steals and nine blocked shots.

• Justin Black was just shy of posting a triple-double at Liberty. The junior guard finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and nine assists … he is currently leads the team in scoring.

• DeWayne Jackson ranks among the top theft artists in school history. Jackson has collected 165 steals with the Bears and currently ranks No. 2 (No. 5 in the MEAC). The school record for career steals is held by Terrence Wright (1992-96) with 186 career steals … Jackson is 22 steals away from becoming the school’s new leader.

• The combination of DeWayne Jackson, Anthony Hubbard and Justin Black have provided almost 60 percent of the scoring for the Bears so far this season.

• The Bears’ first 10 games of the 2012-13 season were on the road where they finished 3-7.

• The Bears used eight different lineups this season, but Coach Bozeman has used a lineup 12 times this season that puts DeWayne Jackson at forward with Justin Black, Blake Bozeman, Anthony Hubbard and Ian Chiles.

LAST TIME VS. FAMU
March, 1, 2012 — Morgan State had three players score in double-figures and hit free throws down the stretch to help beat Florida A&M 74-68 at the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee. Aric Brooks led the Bears with 16 points, while Justin Black had 12 and Shaquille Duncan added 10. Morgan State shot 68 percent (17-25) from the field and hit 3-of-3 3-pointers to help build a 48-35 halftime lead.

SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
The Rattlers welcomed back four veterans, including three starters, from a squad that posted a 10-23 overall record, finished 11th in the MEAC with a 6-10 ledger. Jamie Adams leads the Rattlers in scoring and steals by averaging 14.1 points (No. 4 in MEAC) and a league-best 2.0 steals per game. Reggie Lewis is the only other Rattler averaging double-figures (10.8 ppg) and Markee Teal leads FAMU on the glass averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. The Rattlers enter Thursday night’s game averaging 65.3 ppg and ranks No. 2 in the league in steals (8.2 per game). Head coach Clemon Johnson (Florida A&M ’78) is in his 1st season as the Rattlers’ head coach and he currently holds a 8-21 record, and is 46-118 is his sixth year as a head coach.

MORGAN STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Morgan State was picked to finish third in the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll behind Savannah State and Delaware State.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

SENIOR DAY
MSU will say goodbye to senior DeWayne Jackson during a pregame ceremony. The Bowie product will wrap up seasons of impressive work Thursday night when Morgan State and Florida A&M meet in Hill Field House in the 2013 home finale. The 6-foot-8 swingman has been a major contributor at Morgan State where he has won a MEAC Championship, played in the NCAA Tournament and has received a number of postseason honors, including MEAC Rookie of the Year. Jackson is the only player in school history to have the combination of over 1,500 points(1,522 – No. 7), 500 rebounds (535 – No. 8), 150 steals (169 – No. 2) and 150 assists (173).

EXCEPTIONALLY EFFICIENTIan Chiles is another Bear that possesses a top-10 MEAC ranking as the redshirt-junior center is No. 10 in the conference with his .523 field-goal percentage and is No. 9 in blocks averaging 1.6 per game.

THE SETUP ARTISTJustin Black ranks T-No. 9 in assists at 3.0 per game and No. 6 with his 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio amongst all MEAC players.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has eight players from the Metropolitan-D.C. area, including one from Baltimore. Senior DeWayne Jackson (Bowie High) and sophomore Blake Bozeman (Solebury Prep) are both from Bowie. Transfer guard Daryl Traynham is from Melwood (Wise High), walk-on Daon Riley is from Severn (Old Mill High), and Cedric Blossom is from Columbia (Montrose Christian). Anthony Hubbard is a product of Woodbridge (Va.), while junior Justin Black attended DeMatha High, Willis Turnipseed played at City High, and Donte Pretlow was a standout at Dunbar High in Baltimore.

BOZEMAN WIN PERCENTAGE AT MSUTodd Bozeman, now in his seventh season as head coach of the Bears, has an overall win percentage of .554 (123-99) after 222 games at Morgan State. That winning mean is the second highest among 15 head coaches in the history of the Morgan State men’s basketball program. Nathaniel Frazier’s winning percentage of .578 (166-121) is the highest percentage in Morgan State history.

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
In the first 27 games of the season, three Bears average more than 12 points a game Justin Black leads with by averaging 14.1 ppg, DeWayne Jackson averages 13.6 points per game, while Anthony Hubbardis averaging 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on the boards.

HIGH CLASS ON THE GLASS
Morgan State ranks No. 1 in the MEAC averaging 14.2 offensive rebounds per game and has recorded double-digit offensive boards in 21 of 27 games. MSU averaged 12.1 offensive rebounds.

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